Haunting
by NinjagoZ
Summary: Eren Jaegar and Mikasa Ackerman recently moved to the small town of Wall Rose, but it isn't all it seems... Armin Arlert's ghost lingers at the school where he hanged himself, but did he really ever die, or is his request to Eren hinting something much more sinister? Connie and Sasha believe something much more disturbing than suicide is happening here... High school AU.


**So, I read this one fanfic where Armin was a ghost and Eren had to help him... They never finished... But it inspired me to write an AU for dead, ghostly Armin! Don't ask, and don't judge by this little commentary I'm making, okay? It's nothing like my real writing below! So please read. Thank you!**

Chapter 1

Eren thought he had seen it all until he saw what he saw that day. He lost his mother to a gang called the Titans, and right before his eyes, along with his adopted sister, Mikasa. He spat at the feet of anyone who got in his way, and shoved away all who cared for him, including his father. Nobody knew where Eren's old man had gone, but they knew he wasn't coming back...

Now he lived in the small town called Wall Rose, which really did have a beautiful granite wall surrounding it. All of the trees were fruit or flower bearing, and the bushes all had edible berries growing upon it. The numerous houses were all painted in complimentary colors, save an old mansion that was right beside the high school. It was an old mansion, with it's own private walls, and it was well-kept. Eren didn't care until that day!

"Eren, you don have to be so angry over going to Wall Rose High... Wall Rose is a nice place, in my opinion." Mikasa insisted.

Eren grunted, "I hate this place. It's nothing like Wall Maria."

"Wall Maria is behind us! I, for one," Mikasa frowned, "I can't understand your reasons for wanting to stay."

Eren noticed the creepy, well-kept mansion, which had lights on the porch turning on, "Hey, who lives there?"

As quickly as Eren had seen them turn on, the lights turned off, and Mikasa never saw the next thing Eren saw: a boy in the cracked left window. Eren's eyes didn't register color in time, but he saw the teenage boy and felt shock. The boy vanished moments later, just as surprised.

"Oh, that one?" Asked Mikasa, looking at the mansion.

Eren nodded, still terrified, "Yeah, who lives there?!"

"Nobody," Mikasa informed him, "I hear there use to be a whole family there, though! They were... Oh, what was it? Arley? Arson? You're better off asking the others who knew the family..."

Eren demanded, "What do you know about them?"

"The family was a very rich one, with a family of three- no, they had a son, so four- and the parents were murdered. I believe the son was called... Armin? Yes, Armin. Then the grandfather died of a stroke during a summer. Armin lived through high school, and died. It was a suicide, but nobody ever said what happened. Why? I thought you hate Wall Rose!" Mikasa explained.

Eren shrugged, "No reason. Just curious."

"It's never 'just curious' with you, Eren..." She glared, her skirt moving a little.

Eren pressed, "Are there any rumors of a haunting...?"

"I don't know."

* * *

Eren was a little too curious after that. Mikasa's story of a dead family, and seeing the boy in the mansion, bothered him with questions, lots of questions that only the family could have answered! He immediately approached a friendly-looking boy called Marco Bott. He glanced at Eren for a long moment.

"Hi! I'm Marco. What's your name?" Marco asked.

Eren forced a smile, "Eren Jaeger."

"Good to know," Marco smiled even broader, and Eren wondered how stretchy Marco's face was, "I assume you have some questions. About the school, the town, directions, maybe?"

"Actually," Eren realized it was the perfect opportunity, "I'm curious about that old mansion... The family that was there even more so."

"Wh-what...?" Marco's grin faltered, and he widened his eyes.

Eren repeated, "The mansion family, Marco! Tell me about it!"

"Sorry," Marco shook his head and resumed his smile, "The mansion used to be owned by the Arlerts, a very famous family. They were rich, and all of the children they had were boys for every generation. Armin was the last son. He's dead now, but..."

Marco stopped, with this almost guarded look. Eren felt himself hesitate- was this about the ghost he thought he saw? Marco looked into his eyes, completely serious now. Marco had fire in his eyes, and intense sincerity.

Marco told him in a low voice, "Nobody wants to talk about it, but there are rumors of Armin still being here... As a ghost."

"Then I _did_ see him! He was in the mansion, and he was looking right at me, and he seemed to be calling me!" Eren hissed back.

Marco nodded, "Most of us saw Armin in a class or in the old mansion, and we're used to that, but Connie and Sasha were thinking about doing a seance to see if Armin would answer. They want to know why he's still here, but I say it's a foolish thought- if Armin's ghost _is_ real, then so are _evil_ ghosts! They could get hurt!"

Marco's smile appeared in only moments, "Connie and Sasha are in the auditorium, which is the first room on the left. I've got to get to the NHS meeting. See you later!"

Marco took off at a run, looking slightly frightened. Eren glanced back and looked at a blonde boy. He had piercing blue eyes, and was kind of short. He was in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but he had on a jacket with a white wing facing one way, and a black one underneath the opposite way on top of a shield. It was a very strange look, and Eren frowned in shock. The blonde boy seemed sad and dark.

"Hey, you okay?" Asked Eren.

The ghost's voice echoed with several others, _"Only you can find the truth about Wall Rose, Eren Jaegar. I am simply your guide..."_

The boy vanished immediately after. Eren knew what to do:

Connie and Sasha's seance was the key.


End file.
